A comparison of two methods of diagnosing hysteria.

The authors compare the syndrome of hysteria, defined as or indicated by a specified response to a 55-item symptom checklist previously used by Guze and other researchers, with the definition of hysterical personality in the second edition of APA's Diagnostic and statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-II). When 20 control subjects and 10 hysterical personalities (DSM-II) were given the Perley-Guze test, the results showed a close correlation between positive scores on the symptom checklist and the DMS-II diagnosis. The authors comment briefly on the theoretical usefulness and practicality of the test and note some difficulties in administration.